Neighbors of Esopus boarding house say they’ve had enough

PORT EWEN >> Members of the Esopus Town Board say a boarding house at 15 Rifton Terrace will undergo a review to determine whether laws have been broken there and whether rooms can continue to be rented.

At a Town Board meeting Monday, town officials heard from neighbors upset by dozens of law enforcement calls to the property, which is owned by Eli Melamud.

“It is unsafe to go past the boarding house when I go on ambulance calls,” said Miss Harjes, a member of the Rifton Fire Department and Town of Esopus Ambulance squad. “Two o’clock in the morning, three o’clock in the morning, there’s cars parked on the road, there’s people standing out front, I’m frightened, I’m in fear, it’s not a safe place.”

Residents said a meeting with Melamud failed to stop problems that have included renting to convicted sex offenders, calls for domestic disputes, investigations of disorderly conduct and animal cruelty, and complaints of menacing.

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“It made me realize that when I come home and find the boarding house surrounded by police because there’s somebody barricaded in his room with a rifle ... that Mr. Melamud’s best intentions just aren’t up to choosing appropriate tenants,” said neighbor Keith Lewis.

Another neighbor, Diane Makin-Ross, said there have been people living in a tent on the Melamud property as well.

“I have a German shepherd and she kept barking and we kept scolding her ... (but) she was trying to alert us,” she said. “Silly us for not paying attention to the dog.”

Town Supervisor John Coutant said a permit was issued in 1972 for an adult boarding home at the site but requirements for an annual permit renewal were never followed. However, he said inspections have been conducted by the town without realizing the permit had lapsed over the past 41 years.

“It’s been flying under the radar, no question about it,” he said. “The building inspector and fire inspector haven’t found anything wrong with the inspections they’ve done up there. Nobody raised any issue about the quality of life.”

Officials said an inspection during the past week found 13 people residing in the house, while the 1972 permit had limited residency to nine people.

“The Planning Board has taken this as a very serious issue,” Coutant said.